United States Congressman, Rep. Riley M Moore, has accused Chinese involved in illegal mining in Nigeria of sponsoring terrorism in the country.
The lawmaker leveled the accusation in an interview with Fox News on Friday, saying the alleged Chinese miners pay Islamic radicals protection money, which they use to finance terrorism.
He said: “Earlier this week, I delivered my report to President Trump detailing the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
“One key point that has been missing from much of the coverage is that the Chinese are running illegal rare earth mineral mining operations in Nigeria.
“They are paying protection money to radical Islamic terrorists who use that money to finance their operations to persecute and kill our brothers and sisters in Christ”.
The lawmaker, who was recently in Nigeria on a fact-finding mission over alleged genocide against Christians, has submitted findings to President Donald Trump.
Trump, who had earlier designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concerns (CPC), is currently studying the report.